China said 17-year-old Gyaincain Norbu, chosen by it in 1995 as its 11th Panchen Lama over the Dalai Lama recognized Gedun Choekyi Niyma, visited Fuzhou, Putian, Quanzhou and Xiamen cities in Fujian province from Dec 19 to 26. He visited a number of museums commemorating Chinese patriotic heroes, sites of historical interests and companies, reported the official China Daily newspaper Dec 28. It said he prayed for earlier reunification of China, while expressing confidence that Chinese people of all ethnic groups can live a happy life only under the leadership of the CPC.

Fujian lies just opposite Taiwan across the Taiwan Straits. He was also reported to have thanked local people for donations and aid to support social and economic development in Ningchi Prefecture, his birth place in Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).

China, it may be noted, has allocated prefectures and counties in the TAR to provinces and cities in China for undertaking development activities.